Lee and Kyle have a blog

A Spring Bloom

2010-02-15T12:33:00.001-08:00

Those little signs in the dead of winter that tell you spring DOES exist are so incredible. This is my Valentine's flower (thank you Kyle), which was completely closed yesterday. Today it's enjoying some warm (very rare) sunshine. I'm enjoying watching it bloom! I hope YOU enjoy this picture!

Wilbur fans, beware...

2010-02-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

Kyle made a meatloaf tonight for dinner. You might say, one of those traditional, all-American dinners. Well, on this cold and rainy night in February, he took it to the next level and actually declared his meatloaf "illegal," while putting on the finishing touches. Judge for yourselves.

WOOHOO

2009-10-26T12:44:00.001-07:00

WOOHOO

2009-10-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

9 Days and Counting!

2009-08-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

I am a bad blogger. Work has been craziness and I just haven't had the time or the energy. But something has me really, really excited...and that's that our lovies Alex and Oliver are getting married in 9 days! I can't wait to see these two tie the knot. I sent them this today....the countdown has officially begun!!

Pearls Pearls Pearls

2009-07-23T14:19:00.001-07:00

My friend Caroline's adorable, fabulous wonderful pearl business is having a 10% discount sale that goes just until the end of July, so here I am, giving you ONE WEEK's WARNING! If you feel like buying some pearls, buy them from Caroline and buy them now! (Or at least in the next 7 days)

Here's the important part: to get the discount, type in discount code BACCAJULY when you checkout with "Google Checkout" and you will see your discount applied.

I have chosen my three favorite items from her website and posted pics here...the first 2 I happen to own myself, the third I sadly I do not, at least yet (Kyle, hint hint)

A Lab and Some Lakes

2009-07-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I went on a great hike to Olallie Lake with Colin and Emily this past Sunday...as usual, I went WAY overboard in terms of taking pictures...but hey, maybe it was keeping my mind off the fact that I was out of breath about 5 minutes in. Their adorable black lab, Cooper, alternated between wanting to jump in to the various lakes we hit along the way to fetch sticks and standing timidly on the shoreline.

If you make it to the end of the slideshow, you'll see that we took a swim in the last lake we found before getting back to the car, and Cooper does NOT like being left on the shoreline when everyone else is swimming.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and our hike ended with an amazing view of a snowy Mount Hood on a warm summer day. Thankfully I think these pictures capture the colors quite nicely! Enjoy....

Books and Bikes

2009-07-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I made a trip to Powell's City of Books yesterday after work, where the "usual" occurred - I saw 1o books I wanted to buy, narrowed it down to one that I literally held in my arms for 10 minutes (I may or may not have stroked the cover several times and opened up the spine and smelled the pages). After these 10 minutes I made the sad but realistic decision that I did not need the book, so I put it back on the shelf and we left....emptyhanded.

However, this little joy was waiting right outside for us - such a cute little classic red flyer tryke - with a bell! All I could picture was a 3-year old riding her bike to Powell's, chaining up her bike, and heading inside for some bookbrowsing. I need more sleep!!

I need to get a life...

2009-07-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

I blog too much about our cats. But come on....how funny is this? If you can believe it, Kitty managed to get even MORE comfortable (see 2nd photo).

Happy tired Monday. I feel the way they look.

Greece Pics!

2009-07-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

Kyle put together the attached album, which has literally been reduced by 50% of the ACTUAL number of pictures we took. Included in those deleted are the 57 photos I took of various stray cats around Athens and the Greek islands. Apparently Kyle didn't feel it was necessary to share those with our family and friends.

Enjoy!

More to come about the Greece trip very soon.

Room with a view...

2009-06-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

Check out the live view from our hotel in Athens - sweet! We leave this coming Friday for New York - a nice little redeye on Friday night...spend the day and night in NYC, and then another redeye on Sunday night to Athens, via Amsterdam. Honeymoon here we come! (Almost).

Delicious or Disgusting?

2009-06-12T14:07:00.001-07:00

I guess it all depends on how you interpret the glossy coating.

And yes, I partook, in case you're curious. :)

Goodbye Cable

2009-06-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

So I officially canceled our cable this month. I'm done with the monthly bills, the ridiculous fees associated with moving, and god help you if something breaks and you have to deal with customer service. Now we get all our entertainment from 3 sources: a new antenna ($35) i installed that pulls in the network channels in high def (better than cable, actually), netflix for movies, and a computer hooked up to the tv for shows and other internet viewing. There's very little we can't get now with those 3 sources, and we have actually started watching tv shows we never did before, like my new favorite Breaking Bad, and old seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I spend less time getting shows now than I did trying to keep my DVR organized, and I don't turn on the tv and watch worthless programing on ESPN and Discovery just because they were on. True, watching a show is more of a hastle now, because we have to go find it on the website or order it on Netflix, but that just means we only watch shows that we are really interested in. In the past, I would go into my DVR and have 20 shows (Family Guy, Seinfeld, 24) that I felt like I needed to catch up on, and kill an hour and a half of my life without thinking. Now I have to care about it before I watch it, and this 'diet' has improved my intake dramatically. I actually took it one step further, and installed a program on our computer that pulls programming from the internet, and also lets you control it with your remote control. These programs have easy access to some really interesting stuff that I never would have looked into. With Academic Earth, I watched a Yale University lecture on game theory, CBS.com had all of the March Madness games on demand, and several other sites show soccer games I could never get on regular cable.

I don't think this approach was feasible in the past, but with new technology and studios slowly providing their content online, it is now an option. Also, the initial setup cost some time and money, but my Comcast bill is now $49 a month (internet) so I will make that money back quickly. In fact, the easiest interaction I've ever had with the cable guys (Time Warner too) was returning the cable box and remote. I drove it to their local office, and dropped it their "returns drop box". The clunk of the cable box falling into the returns heap was extremely satisfying, and my service was canceled automatically the next day. I even got our partial bill refunded, because the un-trusting bastards always bill a month ahead.

Take the plunge. The worst thing that will happen is you'll watch less tv...

My parents are cute

2009-06-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

A family friend snapped this picture of my Mom and Dad right after the wedding ceremony. How cute are they?!

It's the little things...

2009-06-11T12:41:00.001-07:00

I was walking down the sidewalk in the Pearl District yesterday after work, and passed a little townhouse with a gated door right on the sidewalk. I almost walked by without noticing the below...but I'm SO GLAD I did.

It brought a huge smile to my face - how cute?! I so want a dog. Every night, Kyle and I have the same conversation:

Me: "Can we get a dog?"
Kyle: "No."

To be fair, Kyle is being much more responsible than I am. We both work full time, and just don't have the space for a dog. But...I want one.

Summer is here!

2009-06-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I went out for a late evening dinner last night at Bernie's, a southern bistro in our neighborhood. (They make a mean fried green tomato). The last time we went there was late March, so we sat in the normal dining room....this time, it being early June and a warm beautiful evening, we discovered their outdoor garden. Lovely! I'm so happy summer is here.

Let's Doodle

2009-06-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

How cool is this? It's basically a way to suggest a meeting time (or pretty much anything else) via this website. I could see this being really useful if you were trying to get a group of friends together for dinner and everyone had a busy week - you could suggest multiple days and times on this tool, rather than through 800 back and forth emails, and people could indicate what days work for them.

Neato....I guess Doodling is productive after all :)

Me and My Hubby

2009-06-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of the very talented Alex Smulian. I feel all warm and cozy when I look at this photo.
Our awesome photographer also put together this incredible slide show...enjoy!

I can't help it...

2009-06-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

This is what I woke up to. Had to share.

Pearls Come from Oysters...and from Shanghai

2009-06-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, I get it. "Cat in a Box" for four months straight is not that sweet. Listen people....we got MARRIED, ok? There were a few things on my mind. But enough of that. (Or, maybe more of that later).

For now, I feel compelled to post about something that I should have posted about months ago. It goes like this (its only three steps...stay with me)

1) Kyle and I moved to Portland (almost a year ago!)

2) We became friends with a couple named Caroline and Josh

3) We are fully convinced Caroline and Josh are better at life than us

Why? They lived in Shanghai for two years. Cool. They now both run their own businesses. Also cool.

For now, I won't go into too much detail, except to post their websites. Caroline imports pearls and...well....they are stunning.

Pearls!

Pearls know how to blog!

Josh exports microbrews to China, and...well...the Chinese just don't know what's hit 'em.

Beers!

How COOL are these two?! (I mean the people, not the logos)

Zog Blog

2009-02-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

Zane came to Portland on Valentine's Day to visit, drink beer, get cut off, barrel jump, crop dust, bike ride, eat crumpets, fish tacos, and pork, and hot tub. It was fun. Thanks for the memories, Zane.

Chris Pohl has also been crowned our most frequent visitor. Congratulations, Chris.

New job for me?

2009-01-20T11:39:00.001-08:00

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/mar/1000424773.html

Cat(s) in a Box

2008-12-10T06:51:00.000-08:00

We have a new toy in the house. Or, should I say, a non-toy that both cats seem to find completely and utterly fascinating. It's a....cardboard box!

Kitty knows that she's definitely NOT allowed on the kitchen counter (notice the spray bottle directly to her right, used for attacking her when she does just that) And yet:

Although I was slightly annoyed, I couldn't help thinking it was ridiculously cute. So, instead of yelling at her to get down (sorry Kyle), I picked up the box and placed it on the floor, then went about my business. Approximately 20 minutes later, I come back into the kitchen to find this:

It seems the box is just the perfect size to get all snuggled up in. Turns out Victor thinks so too. He joined Kyle and I in watching Star Wars last night, and kept the following position for almost the whole movie:

In my humble opinion, there are two important lessons to be learned here.
1. Never undervalue the value of a cardboard box. (I learned this lesson early on in life, when my favorite childhood activity was scooting around the family room carpet in an empty diaper box)
2. Never purchase this. It's just not worth it! Cardboard is so much more cozy.

Out-of-Office Message: Meow

2008-12-09T14:58:00.001-08:00

I'm working from home this afternoon and have some company. The thought of more work makes me want to nap too, Kitty. Thanks to Mom for our great new HANDMADE blanket!! As you can see, it's already being put to good use :)

Celebrating the Holidays...with a little 13% Ale

2008-12-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

Kyle, in his diligent efforts to make sure we're in the Portland "know," is great about keeping up with the local events. Thankfully for both of us, he found out that the Portland Holiday Ale Festival started this past week and ran through today. How could we pass such an event up?
Clearly, this would not be in the realm of possibility. So, Thursday evening we dined on light fare at home post-work (aka, nuked leftovers) and decided to head out for a real meal - a few mugs of some hefty, spicy, Oregon-brewed holiday ale.

My only concern, considering the unusually nippy outdoor temperature, was whether we'd find ourselves standing in a parking lot somewhere freezing our you know whats off (thus subtracting from the soul-warming experience of a lovely holiday ale). Kyle assured me this would not be the case, and sure enough, we arrived at Pioneer Square to find what I can only describe as a fully tented (and Christmas-lighted) tiny village. Perfect!

We arrived about 6:30pm - prime Thirsty Thursday happy-hour (in New York, at least!) - and found a healthy crowd of imbibers. One of the advantages of Kyle's extraordinary height is that he's able to achieve above-the-clouds (or should I say crowds) shots such as these:

The festival was a great collection of local Oregon brewers sampling, in many cases, ales only available at the holiday festival. The names were clever:

Do you think I'm happy with my Brewdolph?

Speaking of things related to Santa's sleigh...Santa himself made an appearance at the festival! He was incognito that night, though...Dad, you always made sure I knew Santa was real, but you never told me he drank beer?!

Finally, would the ale festival really be complete without a little double-fisting action? I think not.
For all of our East coast friends feeling a little left out..perhaps leaving you with this final tidbit will make you feel better: The very first brewery in America was built in 1642 in none other than....yes, that's right....Hoboken, New Jersey. Cheers!

WRX in PDX

2008-11-26T13:44:00.000-08:00

Despite Portland’s mass transit and uber-green trends, we still need a car. We’ve been driving my brothers Audi for the last 6 months, but now that he’s back stateside, we need to return it. By the way, nice timing on the 60k inspection and brake replacement, bro. You owe me.

For a new car, my requirements were simple:

Must be rad.
Must have ample space for trips to Mt Hood/Ikea.
Must be from a company that will exist in 3 years to honor their warranty.

Naturally, I settled on a ~~Mercury Mistress~~ Subaru WRX. I love this car. I love the bucket seats. I love the turbo. I love the hatchback. My only complaint is the weak mileage. Considering we’re buying this as a long term vehicle, that may come back to haunt us. Actually my favorite comment from the salesman was “Plus, in 6 years, when all the cars on the road are powered by water, you’re gonna have no problem selling a performance car like this.” Save your water, people, it's gonna be worth $5 a gallon in 6 years! (oh wait, it already is).

Another bike ride...this one more manageable

2008-11-17T18:36:00.000-08:00

The weather in Portland this weekend was, in short, glorious. It was blue skies, sunny, 55 (maybe 60?) degree, long-sleeve tshirt in the shade, tshirt in the sun weather. Yeah!! And for November!! Needless to say, we decided on Sunday that we had to take advantage of this gift we'd been given. I had heard from a number of people that biking around Sauvie Island, just north of Portland, is a "must." So, bike around it we did - a popular 12-mile loop that THANKFULLY did not involve any hills. It was some of the most beautiful farmland I've seen, and with all of the fall colors still out, it was quite a site.

We managed, by popping the front tires off our bikes, to get both into our small-ish sedan. (Which is going back to Seattle on Thursday, to be replaced with...oh, you'll have to wait. I'll dedicate a whole post to it! I take that back, Kyle probably will!)

Not even 5 minutes into our ride, we had to pull over. There was a crowd of about 150 people gathered at a cornfield, complete with BBQ, music via loudspeakers, the works. It looked like one of those super corny yet totally fun company get-togethers. We watched them for a while and then finally realized they were about to do a cornfield maze race! Some teams were even dressed up in costume - can you spot Thing 1 and Thing 2?

So, we waited for the corn maze race to start. And waited a little more. Finally, the announcer (yes, there was even an announcer at this event) yelled "3...2....1..GO!" and everyone started running....right past the entrance to the corn maze. Hm. Turns out it was just a 5K, which happened to be starting 500 feet from the entrance to a corn maze. Alrighty then! Moving on.

The rest of the bike ride was marked by varying views of Mount Hood, Mt. St. Helens, and Adams. Check out this picture of Mount Hood in the background:

What I loved about Sauvie Island is that it took us about 20 minutes to get there from our apartment, which is right in Portland. So, 20 minutes outside of the city and you find this beautiful - oasis is the only word I can use to describe it! - of wide open fields and farmland.
There were a few cattle farms, one where Kyle made friends with a GINORMOUS bull:We loved their neat mailbox:

Lazy moo-cows soaking up some warm afternoon sun:

Beautiful open pastures:

Me on the one road that wound through Sauvie Island (or, visual example of how a bike helmet looks on someone who doesn't come by biking naturally):

Kyle during our "breather"... that I've obviously requested (or, what a bike helmet looks like on someone to whom biking comes very naturally):

If you live in Portland and haven't been, GO TO SAUVIE ISLAND! If you don't live in Portland, I hope you enjoyed the pics!!!

Colgate in Portland

2008-11-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

I joined the Colgate Club of Portland for dinner at Typhoon last night - a great chance to meet some alums who at least have one thing in common with me: 4 winters in Hamilton, NY (need I say more?) We dined on November 13th because Colgate's "lucky number" is 13 - as the saying goes, the University was founded by 13 men in 1817, and is also located at 13 Oak Drive. At some point during the time we were students there, all Friday the 13th's were declared official "Colgate days". On the most recent one, in June, Colgate rang the bell at the NYSE. I guess if you go (or are planning to go) to Colgate, you best not suffer from triskaidekaphobia.

The most recent "Colgate Day" ALSO happened to be the day Kyle and I moved out of our apartment in NYC. Alex, who kindly helped us pack up the rest of our belongings, took this picture of me in the cab as we drove away from the apartment towards Grand Central to take the train home to CT (to spend the weekend with Mom and Dad before flying to Portland). I think I look a little bit relieved and a whole lot tired.

Pretty...and not so pretty...veggies

2008-11-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

We received our bi-weekly shipment from Organics to You today, and when I got home from work I got right to washing our veggies! Aren't they pretty? Well, not all of them. In fact, one of them looks like something that could have played a character in the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I have no idea what this thing is, and I'm actually a little nervous to be alone in the apartment with it. It took me upwards of 5 minutes to get up the gall to touch it. Can anyone identify? If I don't post anything in the next day or so, just know that I've been attacked (and possibly eaten by) the freakiest vegetable (??!) known to man.

No One Has Cuter Kids than My Cousin Kimmy - PART II

2008-11-11T13:54:00.000-08:00

Kyle and Brooke's former nanny, Sam, took yet another round of adorable shots of these two after Kyle's school pictures came back less than stellar (imagine the traditional school portrait scowl.) Did any of you have those conversations with Mom and Dad about what background you were going to have for your school photo? I seem to remember my Mom ALWAYS wanting the traditional blue - so in all of my school photos (except for one, in third grade, where I have these really wierd cathedral windows behind my head) I've got the plain old boring blue. But for some reason, my brother's shots all have these crazy multi-colored laser patterns behind them. Chris- how did you do it?

In any case - here are some of my favs from the most recent "photo shoot." I love the personality that's starting to come out of Brooke more and more - especially in that pumpkin shot. "You kill my pumpkin...prepare to die" (In Mandy Patinkin spanish accent, a la Princess Bride). And the shot where Brooke is looking at her older brother like, "You are BY far the coolest person I've ever known in my little life. You are just the best." How long does that last?

Our little flower girl and ring bearer - could they BE any cuter?! And could you get a more awesome worm dance from a 5 year old???

Please don't buy us coffee table books for Christmas

2008-11-10T09:41:00.000-08:00

Because our coffee table exploded last night. It was crazy! The table has (um...had) two different levels - the one underneath had wheels and could be pulled out to rest drinks, etc. on. Kyle and I made a lovely dinner for ourselves, and planned on catching a nice little episode of Law and Order while enjoying it, so I went over to the table to pull out the bottom edge for our plates. This is was the result. The glass went everywhere - we had to clear everything out of the living room to clean up, and even still, Kyle found Kitty batting around a nice chunk of glass this morning. Excellent.

Arts and Crafts!

2008-11-06T13:06:00.001-08:00

Oh boy...I know what I'm gonna do Saturday....

http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/howto/holiday-demos.html?cm_mmc=email-_-11_06_08-_-thanksgiving-_-rightbox

Halloween and Our Second Visitors' Visit

2008-11-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

We had a great weekend with Mac, Liz, and Maggie. Albert, our friend from Colgate, was also in Portland (just on Friday, for work) and joined us for a little Halloween celebration that started at our place with "getting ready" (while drinking Dad's Little Helper). Well, I should clarify - Maggie was ALSO drinking Kool-Aid as an integral part of her costume preparation to become a victim of the Jonestown massacre.

My costume came together at the last minute, because Maggie just happened to bring with her this fabulous vintage blue dress that happened to go with a blue wig I had purchased last year in NYC when I dreamt of being the E train for Halloween (that idea never came to fruition.) All of the sudden, I had the makings of what I think is a pretty sweet costume. Add some blue eyeshadow to the mix and bam! - "You're turning Violet, Violet!"

Mac and Kyle were Hanz and Franz from the SNL skit, and I was suprised to find out how many people recognized them right off the bat. They were a huge hit, and hammed it up the whole night. As Liz aptly put it, they "took up a lot of space" Friday night - both physically (thanks to newspaper stuffing) and with their 'tudes.

On Saturday we took a drive out to Cannon Beach to get Liz her first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. It drizzled the entire drive out but we still all marveled at the colors of the leaves along the drive - they were really incredible. When we arrived at Ecola State Park, the wind was whipping so hard that it was driving the rain into our faces like little prickles, and I felt fairly certain that the apocolypse was coming. We made our way along a little walk way jetting out over the Pacific, and all of the sudden the sun started to peek through. It was really pretty amazing - the combination of the different greys in the clouds and the sunlight struggling through and reflecting on the water made it look like an actual painting.

After spending some time there we headed a bit further south and drove along Nehalem Bay to find Jetty Fisheries, a crabbing place Maggie's friend had recommended to us. It turned out to be the best thing we could have possibly found - a little crabbing outpost right in the bay where you can either rent a boat and crab yourself, or buy fresh crab and eat it out on picnic tables next to a little woodburning fire. By this point the sun was fully shining (what a treat) and so we sat outside for close to two hours eating fresh crab and oysters and enjoying some brewskies. It was pretty amazing - but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Our Second Visitors are Coming!

2008-10-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! And just in time for Halloween! Mac and Liz, our two favorite Brooklynites, are arriving this Thursday evening for a weekend of fun in P-town. Mac is a coworker of mine from "back East" in New York. It's funny, I'm learning that this is the phrase used universally when referring to the East coast..."back East"....which I thought would only be used by people who once lived there, as in "back home". But no, East is "back East" - is this because we read left to right and when you look at the country head on, the West is on the left and the East is on the right so you feel as though it is behind you? Am I reading too much into this?

Me and Mac, "back when":

Anyways, they arrive on Thursday and we feel particularly honored with the timing of this visit, because Halloween happens to be Mac's most favorite holiday, and here he is, flying all the way "out West" to spend it with lil' old us...oh and his sister Maggie who also happens to live here! Maggie is an incredibly talented artist who works with fibers and string and she was just honored with this really amazing award as part of the Portland Open Studios weekends. Check out her stuff here - it's stunning, and her website is beautiful as well!

Mac doesn't have just one talented lady in his life, though. Oh, no - he is one lucky guy. His girlfriend, Liz, happens to be an amazing singer and songwriter (with an album), and published novelist. Yep. Did I mention she's 25? Hm. Ok then.

I love Liz's music. You can check it out here. I also love Liz's book, the Words of Every Song. I also love Liz! She's the best!

Here's Liz (on the left) with my cousins Max (in the middle, but you prob figured that out) and Krissy, when we all went on a Long Island vineyard tour last year for Kyle's birthday:

We can't wait for you guys to get here - we're waiting for you ... unfortunately the sun isn't!! Bring your raincoats (and boots, and umbrellas...you're East coasters, it's ok, you can have umbrellas).

It's All Over...

2008-10-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

And just in time for our 2nd visitors to witness the natural outdoor beauty that Portland has to offer this weekend...

Seattle Sunrise

2008-10-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning ... enjoy!

Seattle, Here We Come...

2008-10-24T11:38:00.001-07:00

We're headed up to Seattle after work this afternoon; provided we don't hit hours of traffic, we're scheduled to arrive around 9pm, when we're meeting up with a group of Kyle's friends for dinner at what looks like an amazing Italian restaurant called Tavolata. I love the look of their website, and, more importantly, their food!! (Note to self: don't write about good Italian restaurants right before lunch...it is painful).

Saturday morning we're accompanying Sam, Kyle's 15-year old brother, to his Boy Scout merit badge "fair," and then it's off to Husky Stadium to see U of W play Notre Dame! I'm really excited for this game. I like making lists (I made one yesterday, about why I decided to take a certain pledge!), so I'll make a list of reasons why I'm excited for the game:

1) Even though the Huskies aren't doing that well...sorry, it had to be said...going to a college football game on a beautiful fall day is one of the best things there is. Thankfully I'm not emotionally invested in the team the way certain other people I know are, so what might be an abysmal performance by the Huskies will most likely not affect my overall enjoyment of the experience.

2) I have a U of W purple sweatshirt that I love wearing, and I am going to wear it to the game tomorrow. Hooded sweatshirts make me happy, almost as much as making lists does.

3) Bud Light before sundown is tastier than Bud Light after sundown.

4) I'm getting to see Notre Dame, the team of my beloved Rudy, in person. The movie Rudy makes me happy. So happy, in fact, that I always cry tears of joy at the end. No matter how many times I see that movie, I always, always cry at the end. Ruuuuuudy. Ruuuuuuudy. Tear.

A Turkey Day Pledge...Take it or Leave it (you should take it)

2008-10-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

Kyle's good friend Mark, who works for Cascade Harvest Coalition, asked us to take a pledge. So we did. (Well, I did, anyways.) Why, you might ask? Well, there's a few good reasons:

1) It has to do with food. I like food a lot, and I know Kyle does too. I know this mainly because no matter what time of day it is or how long ago he has eaten, if you ask him if he's hungry, Kyle's response will always be, "Yeah, I could eat."

2) It doesn't require any sort of financial commitment.

3) It has nothing to do with John McCain, Barack Obama, or Tina Fey...er, I mean, Sarah Palin.

4) It DOES have to do with Thanksgiving, which is one of my most favorite holidays.

Are you curious yet?

Do YOU want to take the pledge?

If so, here it is.

Girls Rule ... Boys Drool

2008-10-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

Uh oh...looks like Devon is kicking Kyle's you know what at the gym!! Nice work lady.

Tour de Multnomah County 2008

2008-10-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went for a really. long. bike ride. Ok, so maybe it wasn't that long by Poooortland standards, but I'm sorry - my idea of a bike ride is down the block to get a half gallon of milk. This was serious business. And uphill both ways! (I kid not...I'll get to that part later). We embarked on our ambitious journey a bit late - around 2:30 in the afternoon - and headed first to REI, to make sure we were up to safety standards. I needed a helmet, since my original one was stolen back in NYC (on the ground floor of our apt building, no less), and Kyle and I both needed front and back lights for our bikes. Nathan, are you proud? When you see us on our bikes next we'll be like our own Halloween light show. After spending too much there, it was up to Willamette Boulvevard, home to the University of Portland. The view from there is pretty spectacular - although you're looking down on rail yards and industrial parking lots, you do get an awesome view of the city and it's a great spot to soak up direct afternoon sunlight. I even got a sunburn!

The area around U of P seems to be a lovely little mix of a college students and residents who have lived in Portland for many years and thus have had the opportunity to collect lots of knick knacks, which they proudly display in their street-facing windows. As we were biking along, Kyle asked me if I thought some of the houses were off-campus housing for students. We simultaneously passed a dude chilling out on a front porch - dreads and all - strumming on his guitar, with the front door wide open. I think he answered the question for us.

We passed an in-progress soccer game along the way - go U of P Pilots! - and then made our way up to St. John's, which was a really quaint little town that in many ways didn't look like it had been touched since 1953. The local high school's homecoming - and it's associated events - were proudly displayed on the town's "Welcome to" sign, and it made me wish a little bit that I had gone to a high school with a football team. The closest I've come to having a personal connection to the lovely sport of football is the fact that my two awesome cousins - one already graduated, one still there - played football for Tufts. Max played center for the Jumbos and graduated in '07...Noah is a junior there now...isn't he cute?

But, like usual, I digress...so we bopped around St. John's for a bit, stopped for some sweet potato fries at Burgerville, (they actually have WIND TURBINES on their website! Take that, Mickey D's) and ate them outside while Kyle told me about how Burgerville is a "sustainable" fast food joint that uses fresh, local ingredients. Made me feel better about eating fried food, anyways. Thanks for that, Kyle.

Pretty fall foliage in St. John's.

Rest stop.

After casually biking through St. John's, it was off to my FAVORITE part of the trip (can you hear the dripping sarcasm in my voice here?): biking across the St. John's bridge. I should preface this part of the story with a little tid-bit of information: I have a fear of heights. Most close to me already know this, but for those of you who don't, let's just say that biking across a bridge like St. John's, with a guard rail that comes up to my knee, on a raised sidewalk while 18-wheelers 3 inches to my left are zooming by, is NOT my idea of a good time. About 500 feet into the ride over the bridge, I dismounted and started to walk my bike, all the while breathing heavily and trying to focus on the fact that man-made bridges such as these are SUPPOSED to bounce up and down when cars go by - it means the suspension is working like its supposed to! (These are the kinds of things you learn when you are engaged to someone who loves bridges). I'm not sure whether he did it to make me feel better, or whether he was scared sh*tless as well, but Kyle dismounted and started walking as well.

Well, we HAD to take pictures...I'm smiling in this one, but if you look carefully, you'll notice it is a smile laced with fear. El - you would NOT have enjoyed this. I thought of your trek up to the top of Haleakala during this entire ride, and my heart went out to you. As you can see, Kyle looks a bit more comfortable with his surroundings.

After we made it over the St. John's bridge (and I thanked my lucky stars I was still alive) it was decision making time. At this point it was about 4:30 and the sun was beginning to sink pretty low in the sky. Kyle presented me with two options:

1) bike along the main road, which has a bike path and is flat, but we'd be biking alongside unpleasant traffic. Not scenic, but quick and to the point (about a 20-30 min ride home)

2) if I had ... and I quote... "a little bit left in me," make our way uphill for a little bit, and then take the lovely Leif Erikson pathway back town to Portland. This winds its way through Forest Park, which is just beautiful. Would take longer, and would require a bit of uphill time, but would be worth it in the end.

ME (thinking): I really want to choose Option 1, but that is SO lame.
ME (speaking): Let's do #2 - I'm ready!

Thus began what had to have been a climb up the steepest urban hill I have ever - EVER - seen. Not only did I have to dismount my bike oh, pretty much immediately...but I could barely WALK up this hill. Seriously. And it kept going...and going...and going. At a certain point, I am breathing so heavily I think I'm going to have an asthma attack (I don't have asthma) and Kyle is about 10 feet ahead of me (good distance for me not to be muttering cusswords at him) and this guy - probably 18 years old, somewhere around there - comes running down the hill in boxers, a t-shirt, and sneakers with no socks. Running is really a loose term - it looked like he was out for an "exercise-related" experience, but his arms were flopping all over the place and he was bobbing his head from side to side. As he ran past us, we approached what can only be described as a house directly off the set of Deliverance. This was by far the most terrifying house I have ever seen. If Law and Order SVU would ever like to come film on location in Oregon, just ask me and I'll direct them to this house. I would have run past it, had it not been for the 87 degree incline we were walking up. Instead, I slowly climbed past it hoping that whoever posted the "No trespassing under any circumstances" sign didn't come out of the house (or one of the three trailers in the back "yard") with a rifle and a grievance.

We finally - and I'm talking maybe 45 mins later - make it to the Leif Erikson road that Kyle was initially talking about taking back into Portland. This is me when we made our way to the road (and I was *told*) no more uphill battles. The fact that I'm still posing for pictures at this point is something to speak of.

In any case, we spent the next hour and a half freezing our you know whats off winding our way down to Portland. The incline was so discreet that about 50% of the time, we were actually biking uphill. I still don't understand how this is possible, but there you have it. Forest Park - the largest urban forest reserve in the U.S.- is absolutely stunning - we only ran into one or two people on our way home, and the fresh air there is something like I've never really experienced anywhere else. I could smell cedar trees along the way, and the pines, and the drying leaves - it was all just wonderful. But - I will say - it was a good darn thing we got those lights, as it was pitch black by the time we made it back to Portland, where we biked ourselves right over to NW 23rd for a slice (or two, in my case) of warm pizza.

Beautiful Sunrise in the Pearl...

2008-10-20T10:04:00.001-07:00

Even though it was raining? See people, this is what I'm talking about. I mean, is that funky weather or what?! In any case, I had to snap this picture on my walk to the streetcar this morning. It's looking east (I guess I don't really need to specify that, do I) at the corner of 11th and Marshall. Lovely, isn't it?!

Kyle has a male model twin...

2008-10-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

Picture courtesy of a friend, who discovered it in a direct mail ad. I guess the more I look at it...does the girl look like me?! I can't tell. But the guy...I mean, IS that Kyle? Napkin author Keith would be pretty excited to hear he was chatting with a model at the bar!!

Our first visitors are coming!!

2008-10-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well, our first visitors that aren't obligated to come visit us due to physical proximity or blood relation. Alex and Oliver are flying in from NYC tomorrow night, and Kyle and I will be waiting for them at the end of the gateway like two little kids waiting for Santa Claus to de-board his sleigh. Apologies for the slightly creepy analogy - it was the first thing that popped into my head!

In any case, our two little loveys - who recently GOT ENGAGED! - will be staying with us for the long weekend to sample our beloved Oregon beer (they are already fans of Dead Guy Ale, so I think they're coming to the right city) and our treasured Oregon wine (we're planning on hitting up Erath, home to a Pinot Gris we just love, for a nice picnic lunch with a view). Kyle and I first visited the city we now call home over Thanksgiving last year, when we spent 5 days exploring and trying to decide whether we could make a life here. I guess the answer is obvious, and it's probably partly due to the fact that we spent several glorious hours soaking in a suprisingly warm November sun at Erath, which was suggested to me by my friend Maggie, who is from Portland (yes, the very same one of Pithy and Cleaver fame!)

This is one of my favorite pictures from that trip, for a number of reasons. The main one being that I am told - most frequently by Kyle's dad! - that umbrellas are for east coasters. Not only is Kyle (a native of Seattle, nonetheless!) toting one here, but he's ALSO got his hood pulled over his head like a little boy AND looks miserable to be standing in the rain. Now now, Kyle - weren't you raised better than this?

But I digress. Our main hope for Alex and Oliver's visit is that they fall so in love with Portland - and realize how much they can't live without us - that they'll want to move here and hang out with us all the time, just like we used to do in the West Village. Nathan and Tina are nice enough to let me bring Alex to get her butt kicked on Saturday morning at Recreate Fitness. Although, as I'm writing this, I'm realizing the sad reality of the fact that Alex is - and always will be - in better shape than me, so despite the fact that I've been going to recreate since June, she'll probably be far better off than me come 10:15 saturday morning. Nothing a little do-it-yourself bloody mary at Rogue couldn't fix! How many do-it-yourself bloodies will it take to get Alex, Kyle and Oliver to recreate this? I guess as many as it takes to start thinking that posing for pictures with an eggplant is something worth doing. More than once.

Speaking of eggplant, one of the things we miss the most about Alex and Oliver is their truly amazing cooking. They make awesome kitchen partners, and made countless gourmet meals for Kyle and I in their tiny West Village kitchen. Whenever I think of the two of them together, this is how I picture them:

And just in case you're thinking I'm spacially challenged, no, that's not their tiny West Village kitchen. Rather, it's Oliver's family's lovely LARGE kitchen in Vermont.

Stay tuned for an update on our weekend adventures! Any suggestions from local readers about what we should bring Alex and Oliver to do are more than welcome. I wish it was Friday.

Indecisive Skies...

2008-10-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

Update as of 5 minutes ago:

As a native east coaster, it's possible I will not stop being amazed at the differences in weather patterns in New York and Portland. I sent Kyle the following IM approximately one hour ago:
me: hey...it's so nice out - do you want to try and go for a little hike after work?
I just now turned around in my office and looked out the window to this:

Organic Food Comes in Cardboard Boxes

2008-10-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

Kyle signed us up for a new service, Organics to You, and we received our first shipment yesterday! I arrived home, laiden with work files, laptop, and pile of mail, to find this lovely box right outside our door. I excitedly brought it inside, dropped my stuff, and cut open the box:

Lettuce. Tomatoes. Green beans. Grapes. Peppers. Cabbage. LITERALLY PILED in a cardboard box. Amazing!

The slug that Kyle found hanging on for dear life to one of the string beans: proof of authentic organic food, or just plain gross? I guess it depends on who you ask...

Speaking of food (not slugs) check out my friend Maggie's new blog, Pithy and Cleaver, which is a wonderful account of two gals living in NYC and cooking amazing treats-salty, sweet, and otherwise-in tiny kitchens. I met Maggie while working as a publicity assistant at FSG, and, besides being a very talented designer for St. Martin's Press (I'm going to assume she designed the masthead for her blog) she's also an incredibly talented cook AND writer. Enjoy!

How to Spot a Gay Bar (Hint: I’m in it)

2008-09-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

So with Lee in New York for 2 weeks, I’m left on my own out here to fend for myself. Unwilling to spend a Friday night at home with the cats, I headed out after work to find a place to watch the debates. My first option, a movie theater within a bar, was too packed, so I went around the corner to the Red Cap Garage, an innocuous looking bar open to the street with people all watching the debate on a tube over the bar. I pulled up a stool and watched the 2nd half of the debate, and enjoyed a bourbon, a beer, and an amazing burger for a total of like 8 bucks. While I enjoyed the happy hour prices, I only really looked around once, and I noticed a few women, and also that the bartender was a little fruity, but I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until after the debate ended, I came out from the bathroom, ready to leave, and I found this little gift waiting for me. Suddenly the big black bar promoter, “Cory” was next to me, asking if I wanted him to change the channel to Girls Gone Wild, and where I worked. “Don’t worry, 95% of my friends are straight, and I bat both ways,” he says. Needless to say, any misconceptions were gone during our short conversation when he told me that “this one was even, but next debate, Obama’s gonna have McCain bent over, with no lube”. So thanks, Cory, and Keith, for being so friendly, and reminding me that I’m not allowed to go out solo ever again. And for anyone heading to Red Cap, try the burger.

Kyle does gym-time

2008-09-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

It was not a good week last week for updating the blog - I fell into the black hole of work. Pictures from Kyle's friend Chris Pohl's visit this weekend to come soon. In the meantime, enjoy these HILARIOUS!! photos of Kyle at the gym. I love them.

Kyle smiling while working out, flying, and looking like a javelin expert. Funny.

Transportation Showdown: PDX vs NYC

2008-08-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

Based on my extensive experience, I bring you the definitive showdown between New York and Portland (don’t get me started on Seattle). I’m breaking down the various modes of transportation options and which city has it best. Who will emerge victorious?! First up: Shoes.

Walking:

In Portland, the sidewalks are wide, the concrete is smooth and recent, and the intersections are well marked with crosswalks. Avenues and streets are the same length (damn those long Manhattan avenues), and cars respect pedestrians. In NYC, jaywalking is the rule, not the exception, and slow tourists get in your way (“stop looking around so much – the Olson twins don’t live there!”) . The main difference is what I’ll call quality of life for the pedestrian. Walking is just more pleasant in PDX. There are nice things to look at, and you don’t have to worry about getting hit by a car or bike messenger (ask Luke Rona). The garbage is picked up on the streets, so you can actually wear sandals without fear of a foot STD. Although it won’t stop me from doing it, I am still waiting to get a jaywalking ticket here. Winner: PDX

Biking:

Portland is supposedly the city of bikes. And it certainly is a more prominent cultural topic here than in NYC. Everyone talks or writes about biking : how it works or doesn’t work. And I thought the fixie-riding hipsters in Brooklyn were progressive – they basically took a page out of Portland’s book. One main reason PDX works for bikers is that it is relatively small, flat, and easy to navigate. In fact, biking has gotten so prominent here, I’ve seen bikers stopping at intersections for other bikers when no cars were around! The whole reason I bike is so I don’t have to follow all the rules of the road that a car does, and as bikers get more and more attention here, the less that kind of thing will be tolerated, I fear. Negatives of PDX include the abundant rain, streetcar tracks (see image. Yes, we've done it), and locals passing judgment on you based on the bike you ride (a passerby told Lee she didn’t have to worry about locking her bike up on the street because “nobody would steal that piece of shit”). In NYC, the bike is the secret weapon of anyone willing to carry it up the stairs of their pre-war walkup. I could get across town in 5 minutes as opposed to 35, and the rush of riding in traffic was something I’ll never forget. Winner: NYC

Driving:

I never owned a car in Manhattan, due to the first born child costs of monthly parking, but I did rent or zipcar pretty frequently. I also rented my share of vans and trucks for my half dozen moves in, out, and throughout the city (click for the best deal in town). Like biking, there is a certain rush to driving in Manhattan, but if you’re not an assertive, decisive driver, you probably hate it. NYC negatives include: traffic, parking on the street, and terrible road quality. Portland is an entirely different car city, although driving is still frustrating, and not at all exciting. Everyone here owns a car, so traffic is pretty bad, especially on the freeways. What I was surprised about was the city driving. Like NYC, many downtown streets are one-way, and they alternate. But the problem is consistency. You can’t assume that 3 streets down will be westbound just because the cross street you’re at now is eastbound. And in the Pearl, where I drive a lot, you can hardly tell if a street is one-way or not. This is a serious issue. After passing five one-way streets, I pulled out to cross the sixth only to realize that there was 2-way traffic. The signage is not perfect, and I am constantly looking around blind corners with confusion, not to mention stopping at every intersection. Thruway streets are not clearly distinguishable from side streets, and I feel like I’m start-stopping around one big grid maze whenever I drive through. It’s hell with a manual transmission. Winner: Tie

Still to come: mass transit, commuter trains, *Bonus Round: Amtrak!*

No One* Has Cuter Kids than My Cousin Kimmy

2008-08-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

To say I adore - and miss the heck out of - these two would be an understatement. These pictures were taken by Kyle and Brooke's babysitter Sam, who has been with them everyday for two years and just had her last day on Friday. She captured them perfectly - their energy, adorable cuteness, and love for one another. Kyle is the best older brother - always making sure Brooke is included in whatever games he's playing. He even made a friendship bracelet for her at school!! I mean, how cute.
I just had to post these amazing pictures of my two favorite little ones (maybe not so little...Kyle just started kindergarten on MONDAY!!!!!) Can't wait to get back East and see them again.

Dance party!!

Smooch!

On a stroll...

Hanging out at home.

* You may have a cousin Kimmy, or a cousin Mary, or whatever. And that cousin may have kids. But those kids aren't as cute as my cousin Kimmy's kids.**
** Just kidding

Kyle as Atlas

2008-08-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

Baby Elephant = Ultimate Cuteness

2008-08-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

A baby elephant was just born at the Oregon Zoo this weekend! Had to put a picture up. It's a boy - as of yet unnamed. Here's a pic of his tipsy first steps:

I guess Mom tried to trample baby right after he was born...but we'll just overlook that part of the story and focus on his ridiculous cuteness!

The beach isn't that fun with no sun...or is it?!

2008-08-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

So the irony of this weekend turned out to be the weather, and our refusal to cooperate with it. Because of the aforementioned run in with the 8 million mile train, and me missing my doctor's appointment and being delayed in getting home, Kyle and I decided to postpone our long-awaited trip to the Oregon coast for today.

Unfortunately, we weren't graced with yesterday's beautiful weather two days in a row. To make this point visually, here's the view of the beach that we enjoyed from Ecola State Park, while eating homemade sandwiches for lunch:

As you can see, it was less than ideal. However, we did start reading Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose, which is a book I've been meaning to get started on since we moved here. It's the story of Lewis and Clark and their expedition West. Three chapters in, and so far it's pretty great. I also began to feel a little less bitter about the rain when I thought about experiencing it from the interior of a dry car, and not while wandering the uncivilized frontier. So, in the spirit of Lewis and Clark, and all of those native Pacific Northwesters I'm trying to emulate, I enjoyed the beach in the pouring rain...without an umbrella. (Those, my friends, are for east coasters only. Where on the east coast could you visit a store called "Rain or Shine" and NOT find an umbrella for sale?!)

I must confess, Henry Weinhard's Hefeweizen doesn't make things any worse, either. (Disclaimer: driver only consumed half of one. Promise.)

Hitting the Oregon Trail

2008-08-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

Today was a culturally action packed Saturday in Portland. It started for us much earlier than would have normally been the case, because Kyle's Aunt Martha and her husband Jerry, who are both heavily involved with The Confluence Project, invited us to attend the ceremonial opening of the Vancouver (Washington, not Canada) Land Bridge.

Here's a little information about the Confluence Project from their website, www.confluenceproject.org:

In 2000, a group of Pacific Northwest Native American tribes and civic groups from Washington and Oregon asked Maya Lin to participate in a project commemorating the bicentennial of the journey of the Corps of Discovery—the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-06. These disparate groups were brought together by the hope that Maya Lin would rethink what the commemoration of the bicentennial could be. Out of this collaboration came the Confluence Project: a series of seven art installations along the Columbia River Basin created to evoke the history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the tremendous changes it brought to the Pacific Northwest.

I realized when Martha and Jerry invited Kyle and I to this ceremony that I really knew nothing about Maya Lin, who is most famous for her design of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. Well, after not much time researching, I discovered that she was still a 21-year old undergraduate at Yale when she won a public design competition to design the memorial. Holy cow.

In any case, attending the ceremony was one of those things we never would have even known about if we hadn't been invited, and it was a wonderful gathering of artists, citizens, and government figures (the Mayor of Vancouver, the "first man" of Washington state, etc). It also couldn't have been a more beautiful day for the opening.

What's more - we got to catch a glimpse of Fort Vancouver. For those of you Oregon Trail fanatics, you most likely remember this stage of the game - it meant you were almost there!! I never made it that far, sadly. But it was still fun to see Fort Vancouver, which during the late 1800's was a significant settlement. The original buildings have since burnt down, but have been rebuilt (see left).

Here's a great picture Kyle got of a mask embedded in an overhang over the bridge:

All in all, it was a neat way to spend an (early!) Saturday morning.
With the exception of me missing my 12:00 doctor's appointment due to getting stuck waiting for an 8 million mile freight train to pass through town, the rest of the day was equally as interesting - we found out the Oregon Distillers' Festival was going on at the Armory, which is home to Gerding Theatre and Portland Center Stage. We tasted a bunch of ridiculously harsh vodkas, whiskeys, and gins, and then headed off to the grocery store to get some fixin's for dinner. The Armory, which was renovated in 2005, was originally built in the 1880's for - you guessed it - amunitions storage - and has since had a number of functions, including a brewery.

Did you know it rains a lot in Portland?

2008-08-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, you probably did. But what I was TOLD before moving out here is that it doesn't really rain as much as everyone says. Sure, it might rain for 30 days in a row (or 60...or more) but the actual amount of rainfall is less when compared with a city such as New York. At least this is what Kyle told me. "Oh, no, it's fine! Really. Everyone exaggerates the amount of rain. You won't even need an umbrella. Only east coasters use umbrellas. It just mists...sometimes it drizzles. It doesn't rain hard in the Pacific Northwest."

It has poured during the past three days.

me: its pouring again

why did you lie to me. did you lie to me to get me out here

Kyle: yes

me: the rain is actually hammering down sideways
me: ohhh i see a patch of blue sky

Sent at 12:39 PM on Wednesday

me: it's getting bigger!

And here it is (or was, because as I write this, it is disappearing). Can't see it? Look at the upper left corner of the white building:

Kitty Gets a Name

2008-08-19T07:19:00.001-07:00

Because there have been a few inquiring minds, I think it's time to give on a certain decision of late that Kyle and I have had trouble making. I have to give credit to my Dad, who gave the following advice:

Let us know when Kitty has a name...heh,wait a minute - how about Kitty?
:-)

He most likely meant it as a joke, but...well...it stuck!
So that's it, folks. Kitty.

Meow.

The Great Pony Mystery...Solved

2008-08-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my good friend Ellie, who knows how to use the internet (clearly, I do not). Ellie sent me the following link: http://www.horseproject.net/ to which I promptly replied:

me: OH MY GOD, how did you find this
ellie: plastic horses in portland - google lee, its an amazing thing

Thanks El for solving the mystery. Or, at least, for being able to use a search engine. I found these pictures on the site. Pony waiting for the streetcar, and pony with a bowl of water! Too funny. I'll have to make it a point to take pictures of all the ponies I find from now on.

Paper and Ponies

2008-08-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

So today is a beautiful, sunny, HOT day in Portland - almost 100 degrees - but thankfully none of that muggy humidity that we'd grown so used to on the east coast. It makes the heat a bit more bearable. Just a bit.

I went to NW 23rd Street (long strip with lots of great boutique and chain shopping) this afternoon while Kyle was working his second Saturday in a row. Paper Source (www.paper-source.com) just opened a new branch there and had a grand opening today, which was an exciting event for me. As most of you who know me well already know, I love paper. And pens, and markers. And office supplies. And pretty greeting cards. Forget clothes - give me a credit card and access to Papyrus and I'm in serious trouble.

Today was no different - they were conducting little demonstrations on how to use rubber stamps "artfully," and how to use this little thermal embossing thing-y that I was sold on in about .25 seconds. I bought up a bunch of stuff and just had 2 hours' worth of arts and crafts time, while not one but TWO other members of the household snoozed:

I had ridden my bike to the store and chained it up outside, and when I came out, I found something that made me laugh out loud. This is something I've seen several times now since moving to Portland, and I would just LOVE to know the backstory behind this - who is responsible, where the idea came from, and how many of these little guys are actually around Portland:

I hope you all enjoy this little joke that someone has been playing on Portlanders everywhere. I hope it doesn't end anytime soon, because every time I see one of these little stallions I break up in hysterics.

Happy Saturday :)

xo Lee

2008-08-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

The sunset over 405 was pretty awesome tonight - heres a pic I took of the Fremont Bridge, and of the sun reflecting off the building just south of us. Enjoy!!

We got our new couch!!

2008-08-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

Kyle and I have been waiting for our couch to arrive for the past month, and it's finally here! This is a very significant day in our lives for one reason: after 4 years of living in NYC, it is a true blessing to be able to actually LAY DOWN on one's couch. Thanks Mom & Dad for the best housewarming present!!!!! Now please cross your fingers that Kitty doesn't like how leather feels under her claws...

Naming the Kitteh

2008-08-12T10:09:00.001-07:00

I never thought naming a cat with Lee would be so difficult. We've had this thing for 3 weeks now and have been unable to agree on a name, and not from lack of trying. The cat's original name was Snickers, but we both agreed to rename her after I smuggled her on a plane down from Seattle in a small cardboard box. Pets aren't allowed on the airline I was flying, so the box had to be small enough to look like it couldn't possibly have a living animal in it. I also relented and decided to put some air holes in it, although I thought that gave it away. To her credit, Kitty curled up (the only position she could fit in) and slept the entire way. Not a peep, and my only concern was when the Irish looking guy in the seat in front of me began to look around curiously - I wondered if he might be allergic and realized the obvious reason why pets aren't allowed on planes.Anyway, Lee's first suggestions for the name were: Penny, Tory, and Ethel. Mine were Mary J Blige, Miss Pam, and Nero. It became quickly apparent that we were not on the same page with this program. Ultimately, Lee wanted a name that was cute and 'petlike,' and I wanted something that was cool enough or ridiculous enough so I can laugh every time I hear someone call her name. For me, that would make the litter box and flying claw attacks worth it. Besides, it's not like the cat cares, right? All she cares about is climbing behind the TV and pulling the plug while we're in the middle of Mission Impossible: III. Thanks a lot, Nero.

So 2 weeks ago we began emailing during work our most recent name ideas, hoping for some agreement from one another. There was none. Below is an excerpt from our G-chat last week:

2:13 PM Lee: so. miss pam.?? really?

2:14 PM me: yes. Treasure cat?

2:15 PM Lee: hahahaha

talk to me

Tory.?

Pearl?

2:25 PM me: yes hello

sorry

im running around

2:29 PM Lee: its ok

2:39 PM Nala.

2:40 PM me: wawa

Lee: are you just ignoring my options?

i love it

Phoebe

2:41 PM me: pupu

what, you love my names?

2:42 PM Lee: no - i love that you're just ignoring me

haha

hellooooo

ignorer

2:47 PM

nala is the girl from lion king! a feline!

phoebe is just cute

and phoebe from friends sang the song smelly cat

which was funn

funneeeeee

me: I dont mind Nala too much

2:48 PM Lee: and what bout the other optiosn - are you ignoring bc you don't like them

me: which. tory and pearl?

Lee: yeah. and pheebs

me: yeah. not a big fan

Lee: ameoba

me: wha?

2:50 PM Lee: i'm just kidding.

me: i love it

done and done

2:51 PM Lee has signed off of chat

me: Hello? How about Magdelena?

Lee did not receive your chat

So after 2 weeks of this, we finally came to an agreement the other day we were both happy with: Pepsi. It was a compromise on both our parts, and to finally settle the deal, I baptized her in the shower. Then, sure enough, the next day, Lee decides she doesn't like Pepsi anymore. I was furious. "It's done! We got the Lord's blessing!" (to her credit, I had done the same flip flop a week earlier with the name 'Skippy'). Currently, we have settled on Zelda (which I am quite happy with) but if the past is anything to go by, she'll have a new name by the weekend.

Your suggestions are welcomed…

Our first Portland hike!

2008-08-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

We finally broke out the 100 Hikes of Northwest Oregon hiking book (given to us by our landlord, who used it for the first two years after his move to Portland from Cinncinati) and chose a hike about 30 miles outside of Portland. After spending a little extra time trying to get out of the city (there was a bike race, of course, running right through downtown) and trying - but failing - to get a cup of Stumptown coffee (line too long), we hit the road and followed the Columbia River until we reached the exit for Horsetail Falls.

Weather was perfect - sunny and breezy. The hike was great - a well-traversed trail that, as it grew steeper, became less crowded (shocking!) There were so many amazing waterfalls along the way, cool moss-covered trees, and overlooks to the Columbia River (not to be experienced by anyone with vertigo). We decided to go for the "extra" portion of the hike to the Triple Falls, which was (you guessed it!) three waterfalls side by side. We stopped to have lunch there and enjoy the view. Because we were seated right NEXT to the waterfalls, I worried as I was watching people taking pictures from afar that we were in the process of destroying their beautiful landscape photos with our presence. Portlanders did not disappoint. A younger man approached us as we were hiking out and said that his Mom had snapped a really nice photo of us next to the waterfall. Maybe if he saw us in the parking lot, he said, he'd get our email addresses so they could send us the photo. I mean, really?!

We spent the rest of the evening actually trying to make the apartment feel like home - we've finally started hanging pictures and arranging furniture. We even discovered that we have enough New York-centric artwork to create a theme for our guest room! So, for those of you planning to come to visit, you won't really be far from home when you get here!! I know, it sounds corny - but trust me, we'll make it look classy!

Click on this link for more pictures of our hike today, as well as our adventures in trying a new recipe. There's also a photo of Victor and his lil' sis ;)

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=10ed246p.9p48bl7p&x=0&y=-qqzf7b&localeid=en_US

xo
Lee

Kyle takes pretty pictures

2008-08-10T17:36:00.001-07:00

How beautiful are these? Kyle passes this barn on his way to work every day, and since he had to work yesterday (Saturday) he figured it was a good time to finally stop and snap a few pics. Enjoy!

We belong to the best gym ever

2008-08-08T15:39:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I said my next post would include pictures of the apartment. I lied. What I really feel like writing about is our gym. Yes, you heard me correctly. I actually feel like writing about our GYM. Because it's the best! And that's why I've posted the two photos above, because they are just so fitting: me, casually getting water...Kyle, working his butt off. Oh, how I love going to the gym.

Kyle found Recreate Fitness online and it's run by a husband-and-wife trainer team, Nathan and Tina Jeffers, who truly believe that getting fit is all about getting back the basics of things you used to do in gym class when you were young. (because, when we were little, we actually enjoyed exercising..it didn't feel like exercise!). There's no stairmasters, treadmills, or ellipticals (actually, there's no machines at all, except for rowing machines). In fact, there isn't room for any of that stuff, since the gym is basically a garage set up with some outdoor driveway space. It's all class-based, so you join about 12 other members in an hour long workout that consists of three parts: 1) warm up 2) skills, where Nathan and Tina take the time to walk around and help everyone with their technique; and 3) the "workout of the day," which is sometimes as long as half an hour, sometimes as short as 10 minutes. This is the kick-your-butt part.

It's been a great place for Kyle and I to join, because it's truly a community - people hang out with each other on the weekends, get together for a monthly group hike (come on, we live in Portland) and Nathan and Tina hold a semi-annual "customer appreciation" cookout at their place - word is one is coming up soon, so that should be fun! All in all, it's a very encouraging atmosphere...especially for the two of us, who don't know many people here.

Take, for instance, the following email that I received from Nathan and Tina the day after I thought I was going to lose my cookies after the workout:

Hi Lee...I wanted to check in and see how your feeling. I know the last couple of workouts have been a little rough for you. Last nights workout was very hard for everyone who did it. You may not feel like it but you are moving and squatting much better. We've seen a lot of progress already. Keep up the good work and thanks for being part of the gym. Nathan & Tina

I mean, how great is that?!

In any case, they have a great website which you should check out: http://www.recreatefitness.com/; as well as there own - yep, you guessed it - blog, where they update daily with pictures of all of us hard working gym goers.

My very first blog entry!

2008-08-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, yes. We have a blog. We figure, we just moved across the country, we're getting married (May 2, 2009!) and we're getting the opportunity to explore lots of new places that are far away from our friends and family, so what better way than create a little forum where we can share updates and photos, and you can comment on how super awesome (or totally corny) they are. Here's a little update for everyone - we have a new member of the family! (If you can consider Kyle and I, and two cats, a "family.")

Kyle's family cat, Lucy, is quite a saucy minx - she decided to roam the neighborhood and, well, came home pregnant. Four kittens were born not long after the pregnancy was discovered, and Skippy joined us about two weeks ago. Victor, ever the gentleman, has been indifferent at worst, gracious at best to share his new (much bigger) abode with what is turning out to be a completely maniacal kitten. I've never owned a kitten before, and for those of you that haven't, if you're ever considering it, I highly recommend purchasing some fairly elaborate scratching surfaces before bringing said kitten home. At least have some furniture in your place. In our case, we have neither, so I've become a human cat scratching post.

This is a picture of the two new "siblings" enjoying their very first group nap (awwww, they're touching paws!). Don't be fooled, though. As I write this they are currently staring one another down in what can only be described as a menacing way.

That's all for now - I'll update with more pictures of the apartment next!